Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Asia Ltd. held the 11th "Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative" (HYLI) in Hanoi, Vietnam, from January 9 (Monday) to 13 (Friday).
The theme of this year's HYLI was The New Stage for Asia - an Asian Perspective on Managing Sustainable Development and Economic Integration. A group of 28 university students selected from the Asian region came together to discuss their unique perspectives. At the start of the event, Chairman Kawamura offered opening remarks on behalf of Hitachi Ltd., and thanked all those whose assistance contributed to the success of the program. As the Guest-of-Honour, we welcomed H.E. Hoang Trung Hai, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam. A forum was held over the first two days of the program featuring presentations as well as panel discussions by experts and high-ranking officials, including Hon. Gregory L. Domingo, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and H.E. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Yasuaki Tanizaki from the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam. The event was attended by about 300 people, including representatives of business, government, and universities. An exhibition introducing the business activities of the Hitachi Group was also set up at the venue, and was visited by many participants.
During the program, the participating students held several discussions under the themes of Sustainable Transportation and Mobility, Seeking Sustainable Energy Options, Moving Towards an Economically-Integrated Community, and Moving Towards a Secure Community. On the final day of the program, the students presented their findings and suggestions for attaining these goals at a press conference.
In addition to the forum and workshops, which were designed to ensure students rich networking and learning opportunities, an overnight trip to Ha Long Bay was also prepared. It was the first time that the HYLI program included an overnight trip to enhance the students' learning experience outside the conference venue.
The contents covered under the HYLI program will be summarized in a white paper, which will be distributed to the governments of the participating countries, as well as universities and stakeholders from the Hitachi business group.